Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What type of research does the Heart and Stroke Foundation (HSF) fund?
  2. What programs of research does HSF offer?
  3. What funding is available to researchers outside of Canada?
  4. What is the role of the federation office (Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada) vs. the 10 provincial foundations in supporting research?
  5. How are funding decisions made?
  6. Lay Reviewers and Structured Lay Summaries
    1. What is the role of lay reviewers on the Scientific Review Committee?
    2. What is a lay summary? How do you write one? 
    3. Why is there a grade 10 language requirement for the structured lay summary?
    4. How do you test your grade level of your writing?
    5. How do you lower your grade level of your writing?
    6. Examples of HSF-funded researchers' lay summaries that follow the required format
  7. What does the phrase "unable to continue" mean?
  8. Translocation of Awards
    1. How is your funding affected when you move within Canada from one province to another?
    2. You are moving to another province to another province on July 1 and have already completed one year of a three-year grant. The day I move will be the start day of my second year of funding. From which provincial foundation will you receive funding and for how long?
  9. Under what circumstances would an award be terminated?
  10. Grant-in-Aid (GIA)
    1. Who is eligible to apply for a GIA?
    2. Can you hold a GIA along with another HSF award?
    3. What are the different categories of applicants on a GIA application?
    4. What is the difference between equipment and materials/supplies? What is maintenance and facility?
    5. You are preparing your GIA application and working on the Common CV attachment pages. The instructions say the margins need to 3/4'' around. Does this include the header and footer, or can they be outside this at 1/2''?
    6. Is a Letter of Intent required for the GIA program?
  11. Research Scholarship
    1. What is the Research Scholarship?
    2. What are the stipend, allowance and tenure?
    3. Who is eligible to apply?
    4. Do you have to hold a faculty appointment to be eligible?
    5. What research experience do you need to be eligible?
    6. Do you need a research supervisor or a mentor to be considered for the Scholarship?
    7. How do you apply?
    8. How do you find out if your application has been successful?
    9. Is this the first time the Research Scholarship is offered?
    10. Who should you contact at the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada if you have more questions?
  12. Research Fellowship
    1. What is the eligibility requirement?
  13. New Investigator Award
    1. Can you hold one grant and meet the eligibility criteria for a GIA throughout the award?
  14. HSF Federation Research Fund
    1. What is HSF Federation Research Fund?
    2. Who can be partners on Federation Research Fund initiatives?
    3. How are Federation Research Fund applications peer-reviewed?
    4. What type of research is funded through the Federation Research Fund?
    5. When are Requests for Applications for Federation Research Fund initiatives launched?
  15. What are the 4 pillars of health research?
  16. What is HSF policy on intellectual property?
  17. Where on our website can you find the deadlines for the GIA and Personnel Award competitions?
  18. Where on our website can you find the list of research classification?
  19. How should applications be bound when submitted to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada?
  20. What would be considered an incomplete or unacceptable application?
  21. What is HSF policy on indirect costs of research/overhead?
  1. Q.  What types of research does the Heart and Stroke Foundation fund?

    A.  The Heart and Stroke Foundation supports research that relates to heart disease and stroke across the four health research themes (basic biomedical, clinical, health services/systems, population health). All applicants must clearly demonstrate the relevance of their project to the Foundation's mission.
     
  2. Q.  What programs of research does the Heart and Stroke Foundation offer?

    A.  There are core funding programs (open competitions) and strategic funding programs offered through the Foundation. Through its open competitions, the Foundation supports Personnel Awards (Doctoral Research Awards, Research Fellowships, Research Scholarship, and New Investigator/Distinguished Clinician Scientist awards) and Grants-in-Aid (operating grants). Specific provinces offer additional awards (Career Investigator awards, studentships, Program Grants). See Provincial Programs for more details.

    In addition to these core programs, the Heart and Stroke Foundation Federation Research Fund has been created which supports research in strategic areas. Special Requests for Applications are launched - typically for larger research initiatives (Strategic Training Program Grants, New Emerging Teams, Interdisciplinary Health Research Teams) or for Personnel Awards in research areas where there is a need for increased research capacity.
     
  3. Q.  What funding is available to researchers outside Canada?

    A.  The Heart and Stroke Foundation does not provide operating grant funding to non-Canadians working outside Canada. Some salary support programs may offer funding to Canadians working outside Canada, or to non-Canadians working in Canada. For details on Heart and Stroke Foundation programs please refer to our Guidelines for Applicants.
     
  4. Q.  What is the role of the national office (Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada) versus the 10 provincial Foundations in supporting research? 

    A.  The Heart and Stroke Foundation is a federation consisting of a national office and 10 provincial Foundations which operate independently. The national office, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada (HSFC), is responsible for coordinating peer review for all projects submitted to the Foundation (across all provinces). HSFC administers the Personnel Awards whereas the provincial Foundations administer the Grant-in-Aid awards. Projects supported through the Heart and Stroke Foundation Federation Research Fund are administered by HSFC.
     
  5. Q.  How are funding decisions made? 

    A.  All applications submitted to the Foundation are assessed by a panel of experts - a process known as peer review. There are eight peer review committees for Grants-in-Aid applications and four panels for Personnel applications, with varying numbers of members depending on the number of applications. Members on panels who meet face-to-face are "internal reviewers". In addition, two "external reviewers" are sought to provide written reviews for each Grant-in-Aid application. The Heart and Stroke Foundation makes considerable effort to encourage return of external reviews, as these are taken into consideration by the internal reviewers during the assessment and discussion of each application. Each application is rated by the panel members. The final ratings for Grant-in-Aid applications are forwarded to the respective provincial Foundations for funding decisions. The final ratings for Personnel applications are used by HSFC to determine the distribution of awards each year.
     
  6. Lay Reviewers and Structured Lay Summaries 

    a. Q. What is the role of lay reviewers on the Scientific Review Committee?

    A.  As part of being accountable to its donors, the Heart and Stroke Foundation has added lay reviewers to each of its eight Grant-in-Aid peer review committees. The goal is to ensure that all research supported by the Heart and Stroke Foundation is relevant to the mission of the Foundation.

    The lay reviewer reads the lay summary of each application and provides input on relevance to the broader community and the mandate of the HSFC. The lay reviewer participates in the Scientific Review Committee meeting and comments on the applications. At this time, the lay reviewer does not vote or provide a rating for the applications.

    Nominations for lay reviewers are sought from the community. 

    It is important that applicants ensure that all information on the application form is clear and concise and that the structured lay summary is completed with a clear explanation of how the research proposal is relevant to the mission of the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

    b. Q. What is a lay summary? How do you write one?

    A. A lay summary is a clear, plain language explanation of a research project or its outcomes. It provides a bigger picture context for the research and why it is important. A lay summary can be understood by the general public as well as researchers in other fields of study. For more tips on how to write one, please see the article Communicating Your Research in Lay Language.

    c. Q. Why is there a grade level of grade 10 required for the language of the structured lay summary?

    A. The lay summaries are not meant for researchers who readily read and understand scientific literature, they are for the lay reviewers to read and provide input on relevance to the broader community and the mandate of the HSFC. The lay reviewer must therefore be able to have a clear picture of the applicants’ proposed research. The lay summaries may also be used for communication purposes and must therefore be understood by the general public.

    d. Q. How do you test the grade level of your writing?

    A. Microsoft Word © uses the Flesch-Kincaid grade formula and Flesch Reading ease formula to assess writing level. The Flesch-Kincaid grade formula calculates an overall reading grade level while the Flesch reading ease formula calculates a score of reading ease from 0-100, 100 being easier to read. Both Formulae use average sentence length (ASL- number of words divided by the number of sentences) and average syllables per word (ASW- number of syllables divided by the number of words). Please note that Microsoft Word© readability statistics will not display a grade level greater than Grade 12. These formulae also work best with documents over 200 words.

    Follow these instructions for displaying readability statistics from Microsoft Word©:
    ♦ On the Tools menu, click Options , and then click the Spelling & Grammar tab.
    ♦ Select the “ Check grammar with spelling ” check box.
    ♦ Select the “ Show readability statistics ” check box, and then click OK.
    ♦ On the Tools Menu click Spelling and Grammar.
    ♦ When Microsoft Word© finishes checking spelling and grammar, it displays information about the reading level of the document.

    Notes:
    ♦ If you have set up Word to check the spelling and grammar of text in other languages, and a document contains text in multiple languages, Word displays readability statistics for text in the last language that was checked. For example, if a document contains three paragraphs — the first in English, the second in French, and the third in English — Word displays readability statistics for the third English paragraph only.
    ♦ For some European languages within an English document, Word displays only information about counts and averages, not readability.

    e. Q. How do you lower the grade level of your writing?

    A. Since the Flesch-Kincaid formulae use average sentence length (ASL- number of words divided by the number of sentences) and average syllables per word (ASW- number of syllables divided by the number of words) to calculate grade level, use more small sentences rather than a string of long sentences. Try using smaller words like “tell, show and merge” rather than “identify, illustrate and integrate” and use large technical words only when absolutely necessary. Generalize, simplify your grammar, use analogies, and omit sentences that do not add meaning.

    f. Q. Examples of Lay Summaries that follow the HSFC required format from HSF funded researchers:

    Anonymous The anti-inflammatory role of a low molecular weight heparin lacking anticoagulant activity.

    Dr. Kathryn Todd Investigations of novel strategies to improve cellular and behavioral outcomes after focal embolic cerebral ischemia.

    Dr. J. Weitz Improving the effectiveness of thrombolytic therapy.
     
  7. Q.  What does the phrase "unable to continue" mean?

    A.  The phrase "unable to continue" refers to any reason why a researcher would not be able to finish his/her research project. Examples of these situations are: serious illness, death of researcher or Principal Investigator, or other personal circumstance which would prevent a researcher from continuing their project.
     
  8. Translocation of Awards 

    a. Q. When I move within Canada from one province to another, how is my funding affected?

    A.  If you move before July 1st, you will receive funding for the remainder of that year plus one additional year from the province where you were awarded the grant. You must submit an application to the new province within that year for continuation of funding.

    If you take up a position in a new province on July 1st, you will receive funding for one year - from the province where you were awarded the grant. You must submit an application to the new province within that year for continuation of funding.

    If you submit an application and move before the funding decision of the originating province, you will be considered a resident of the new province to which you have moved and funded through the new province.

    If you move after funding decisions have been made, you will be considered a resident of the province from which you moved (the original province that you applied to)

    The onus is on the applicant to notify the Heart and Stroke Foundation as soon as there is a change in the province of residence.

    b. Q. I am moving to another province on July 1st and have already completed one year of a three year grant. The day I move will be the start day of my second year of funding. Who will I receive funding from, and for how long?

    A.  Since this is an ongoing grant at the start of a new funding year, you will be funded by your original province for that second year, but you will need to apply in the upcoming September competition to your new province for further funding. You will therefore only receive two years of the original three years awarded. There is now a place on the application form to indicate this, so that the peer review committee is made aware that you had only two years funding in which to make progress on this research.
     
  9. Q.  Under what circumstances would an award be terminated?

    A. Awards may be terminated for a number of reasons including: misuse of funds, plagiarism, insufficient progress, or a lack of available funds.
     
  10. Grant-in-Aid 

    a. Q. Who is eligible to apply for Grant-in-Aid funding from the Heart and Stroke Foundation?

    A. The Heart and Stroke Foundation accepts applications from Principal Applicants who have appointments at Canadian post-secondary institutions, and affiliated hospitals and research institutes. Applicants from Government agencies are eligible for funding from the Foundation, as long as they also hold a university appointment. Other individuals may also be eligible, and should contact HSFC to determine whether an application would be accepted. The Foundation routinely reviews its eligibility requirements which may lead to changes in eligibility in the future.

    b. Q. Are researchers allowed to hold another Grant-in-Aid award along with a Heart and Stroke Foundation award?

    A. For all provinces except Quebec and British Columbia & Yukon, the Grant-in-Aid (GIA) award a researcher receives from the Heart and Stroke Foundation must be the major award, for the proposed research. A researcher must not accept or be in receipt of a GIA award that is more than 50% of the amount provided by the Heart and Stroke Foundation for the proposed research. If a researcher is offered two major awards they must decide which one they will accept for the proposed research. With the exception of Quebec and British Columbia & Yukon, the Heart and Stroke Foundations will not "top up" awards. In Quebec and British Columbia & Yukon, researchers are allowed to hold major funding for proposed research, with a "top up" from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Quebec or British Columbia & Yukon.

    c. Q. What are the different categories of applicants on Heart and Stroke Foundation operating grant applications?

    A. There are three categories of applicants on Heart and Stroke Foundation Grant-in-Aid applications. A Principal Applicant has the responsibility for the intellectual direction of the proposed research, and assumes administrative and financial responsibility for the grant. A Co-Applicant (or Co-Investigator) is a researcher who contributes substantially to the intellectual content of the research. A Collaborator provides a special service (such as access to equipment, provision of specific reagents, training in a specialized technique, statistical analysis, access to a patient population, etc.) but who is not involved in the overall intellectual direction of the research.

    d. Q. What is the difference between equipment and materials/supplies? What is maintenance and facility?

    A. Equipment refers to items that generally cost more than $500 whereas materials are under $500. Laboratory equipment such as thermocyclers, centrifuges, spectrophotometers, computers etc. would be equipment. Supplies such as test tubes, palm pilots, and sample tubes would be classified as materials/supplies.

    Maintenance and facility refers to costs associated with purchasing new equipment. Examples would include small renovations such as installation of shelving to facilitate new equipment, plugs required for new computers, and installation contracts.

    e. Q. I am preparing my Grant-in-Aid application and am working on the Common CV attachment pages. The instructions say the margins need to be ¾'' around, does this include the header and footer, or can they be outside this at ½''?

    A. The margin needs to be ¾'' all around including the header and footer. Applications that fail to adhere to the instructions specified on the preparation of grants i.e. font size, length of text, margins, etc. will not be reviewed.

    f. Q. Is there a Letter of Intent (LOI) required for the Grant-in-Aid program?

    A. A Letter of Intent is not required for the Grant-in-Aid program, except for certain applications to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario (HSFO).

    HSFO's policy provides for a maximum level of annual funding of $250,000 per grant. Grant applications with total budget requests exceeding this level may be considered for shared funding with other granting agencies. If the Grant-in-Aid application you are preparing for HSFO is requesting annual funding above HSFO’s maximum level, or if the proposal includes shared funding with other granting agencies, it is necessary to contact HSFO and submit a Letter of Intent to be received by July 15.

    Further details are available in HSFO’s supplemental guidelines.
     
  11. Research Scholarship

    a. Q. What is the HSFC Research Scholarship?

    A. The HSFC Research Scholarship is a two-year salary award designed to attract and foster heart disease and stroke investigators from a variety of health professional disciplines, including, but not limited to, nursing, social work, pharmacy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, speech-language pathology, nutrition, dentistry and medicine. 

    At least 60 per cent of applicants’ research must focus on applied research in any one of the following three health research themes: clinical, health services/systems, or population health.

    b. Q. What are the stipend, allowance and tenure of the HSFC Research Scholarship?

    A. The HSFC Research Scholarship stipend is $45,000 per year for a maximum of two years and the research allowance is $5,000 per year for a maximum of two years.

    c. Q. Who is eligible to apply for the HSFC Research Scholarship?

    A. 
    ♦ Applicants must have a Master and/or PhD with credentials in a regulated accredited health discipline such as but not limited to nursing, social work, pharmacy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, speech-language pathology, nutrition, dentistry and medicine.
    ♦ A high percentage (at least 60%) of applicants’ research must focus on applied research areas, in any one of the following three themes of health research: clinical, health services/systems, and population health.
    ♦ Applicants must hold, or have a commitment to hold no later than July 1 of the award year, a faculty position from an accredited university in Canada. For applicants with a faculty appointment pending, the Research Scholarship is contingent upon HSFC receiving written confirmation of the faculty appointment from the Canadian university.
    ♦ As of July 1 of the award year, applicants must not have completed more than five (5) years of post-PhD research experience. Undergraduate health sciences training and residency training are not considered as research experience.
    ♦ Applicants must have an identified research mentor, who is located in a Canadian university where the research will be undertaken.
    ♦ The Dean and Department Head (or institutional equivalents) must guarantee at least 75% of the applicant’s time allocated to the proposed research and teaches a maximum equivalent of one (1) three (3) credit course per term. Supervision of graduate students relevant to the applicant’s program of research is encouraged.
    ♦ Applicants must have access to adequate research funding (internal or external) or infrastructure to ensure that they get funding in order to carry out research. It is expected that, as a minimum awardees join a project team as a co-investigator by the end of year one (1) of the award.
    ♦ A Research Scholar may not be in receipt of another major Personnel award (i.e. from another national funding agency) at the same time as holding a Personnel Award from HSFC. Likewise, an awardee may not concurrently hold a Canada Research Chair and a HSFC Research Scholarship award. However, an awardee may accept supplemental funding (no greater than 50% of the value of the Heart and Stroke Foundation award), if it is from a local or provincial funding source.

    d. Q. Do I have to hold a faculty appointment to be eligible for a HSFC Research Scholarship?

    A. Yes. Applicants must hold, or have a commitment to hold no later than July 1 of the award year, a faculty position from an accredited university in Canada. For applicants with a faculty appointment pending, the award is contingent upon HSFC receiving written confirmation of the faculty appointment from the Canadian university. The new scholarship fills a gap in the HSFC suite of personnel awards by providing support to health professional investigators who are undertaking research in heart disease and stroke and who hold a faculty appointment.

    e. Q. What research experience do I need to be eligible for the HSFC Research Scholarship?

    A. As of July 1 of the award year, applicants must not have completed more than five years of post-PhD research experience. Undergraduate health sciences training and residency training are not considered as research experience.

    f. Q. Do I need a research supervisor or a mentor to be considered for the HSFC Research Scholarship?

    A. Applicants must apply jointly with a mentor rather than a supervisor. The research mentor must be identified in the application form and must be located in a Canadian university where the research will be undertaken.

    g. Q. How do I apply for a HSFC Research Scholarship?

    A. Application forms and guidelines for the Research Scholarship award are available on the HSFC Research website. Applications must be received by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada (HSFC) no later than 16:00 (EDT) on August 29, 2008.

    Applications received after the deadline will be considered late even if they are courier-stamped on the deadline date.

    HSFC reserves the right to decline late or incomplete applications.

    h. Q. How do I find out if my application has been successful?

    A. Competition results are posted on the HSFC Research website (http://www.hsf.ca/research/) in mid-April. Official letters are sent in May.

    i. Q. Is this the first time this scholarship has been offered?

    A. Yes, the HSFC Research Scholarship was created to fill a gap in the HSFC suite of personnel awards by providing support to health professional investigators who are undertaking research in heart disease and stroke and who hold a faculty appointment. This new scholarship will help the Heart and Stroke Foundation achieve its mission while fostering heart disease and stroke investigators from a variety of health professional disciplines.

    j. Q. Who should I contact at HSFC if I have more questions?

    A. If you have additional questions about the HSFC Research Scholarship, you may contact Caroline Evans, HSFC Personnel Programs Administrator, at (613) 569-4361, ext. 257 or cevans@hsf.ca.
     
  12. Research Fellowship

    a. Q. I am a resident who is on the educational register of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in my province but I can not practice medicine independently until my residency and CPS exams are passed and I can then apply to my provincial CPS for an independent medical license. Am I eligible to apply for this Research Fellowship award?

    A. If you posses either a trainee license, which restricts you from independent practice while allowing patient contact, or an independent medical license from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of any province in Canada, you are eligible to apply for a Research Fellowship.
     
  13. New Investigator

    a. Q.  For the New Investigator award, can I hold one grant and meet the eligibility criteria for Grant-in-Aid funding throughout the award?

    A. Yes, if the grant was for an amount of $30,000 per year or more. Criteria a and b, or a and c, outlined in the guidelines would be satisfied if you were the Principal Investigator of one peer reviewed grant greater than $30,000 per year. See section 6 of the New Investigator guidelines.
     
  14. Heart and Stroke Foundation (HSF) Federation Research Fund 

    a. Q.  What is the HSF Federation Research Fund?

    A. The HSF Federation Research Fund is an envelope of funds made up of contributions from each of the 10 provincial Foundations and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada (HSFC). All ten provincial Foundations and HSFC signed an agreement to create the Fund in 2000. The Fund provides a mechanism for maximizing funds for heart and stroke research in Canada through partnerships and collaborations.

    b. Q.  With whom can HSFC collaborate through the HSF Federation Research Fund?

    A. The Foundation collaborates with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and its Institutes as well as other voluntary health organizations, research funding agencies and the private sector. Most initiatives supported through the Fund have a number of collaborators from various sectors.

    c. Q.  How will applications to the Fund initiatives be peer reviewed?

    A. All applications submitted in response to Requests for Applications through the HSF Federation Research Fund undergo a scientific peer review process. The peer review involves a process agreed upon by all those collaborating in the initiative and is such that it meets the peer review standards of HSFC. Initiatives that are funded through the Fund are approved by the Research Policy and Planning Advisory Committee (RPPAC) .

    d. Q.  What types of research are funded through the HSF Federation Research Fund?

    A. The Fund supports investigator-initiated research across all four research pillars: basic biomedical, clinical, health services and health systems, and health of populations. There is no pre-determined percentage of dollars that will be distributed to any research theme. There are three categories of funding:

    ♦ Developmental Initiatives - Developmental initiatives support workshops, consensus conferences and other activities that bring the research community together to develop research directions in a particular area.

    ♦ Training Awards - Training awards may be in the form of Personnel Awards including Master's Studentships, Doctoral Research Awards, Research Fellowships or Research Scholarships offered through the  Jump Start Resuscitation or the Focus on Stroke  competition). The Strategic Training Program Grant is another innovative initiative for supporting training programs that enable linkages across centers and disciplines of research - with a focus on mentoring.

    ♦ Programmatic Funding - Programmatic funding supports researchers or research teams. The majority of initiatives encourage research across disciplines and to enable researchers to work together on large programs of research. These awards are typically larger than a "Grant-in-Aid, or "operating grant". Types of funding "tools" include: 

    Community Alliances for Health Research (CAHRs) Program - The intent of the CAHR program is to foster excellent research of relevance to community groups and agencies in the four themes of health research: biomedical, clinical, health services and systems and population health including the social, cultural and environmental determinants of health. The program facilitates mutual learning and collaboration among community organizations and partnerships with researchers based in local universities, hospitals and other not-for-profit institutions.

    Interdisciplinary Capacity Enhancement Teams Grant Program (ICE) - The goal of the ICE grants is to provide support for new or existing groups who can demonstrate that they are committed to engendering a trans-disciplinary research culture and to attracting into, engaging and mentoring junior researchers.

    Interdisciplinary Health Research Teams (IHRT) - IHRT's are interdisciplinary, multi-centre collaborations between at least two of the four themes of health research, with an emphasis on research translation between the sectors, and focused on an important health problem.

    New Emerging Teams (NET) - The New Emerging Team grant is designed to provide five years of support for the creation or development of teams of independent investigators undertaking collaborative multidisciplinary research in Canadian research institutions. The program is intended to promote either the growth of small existing teams or the formation of new and previously nonexistent research teams.

    e. Q.  When are initiatives (Requests for Applications) launched through the HSF Federation Research Fund?

    A.  Requests for Applications can be launched at anytime of the year. When HSFC collaborates with CIHR institutes on major initiatives, these are launched on the CIHR dates in June and December of each year. HSFC makes considerable effort to disseminate information about launches to the academic community.
     
  15. Q. What are the 4 pillars of health research?

    A. The 4 pillars of health research, as defined by the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research are:

    ♦ Basic Biomedical - Research with the goal of understanding normal and abnormal human functioning, at the molecular, cellular, organ system and whole body levels, including the development of tools and techniques to be applied for this purpose; developing new therapies or devices which improve health or the quality of life of individuals, up to the point where they are tested on human subjects. Studies on human subjects that do not have a diagnostic or therapeutic orientation.

    ♦ Clinical - Research with the goal of improving the diagnosis and treatment (including rehabilitation and palliation) of disease and injury; improving the health and quality of life of individuals as they pass through normal life stages. Research on, or for the treatment of, patients.

    ♦ Health Services/Systems - Research with the goal of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of health professionals and the health care system, through changes to practice and policy. Health services research is a multidisciplinary field of scientific investigation that studies how social factors, financing systems, organizational structures and processes, health technologies, and personal behaviours affect access to health care, the quality and cost of health care, and ultimately our health and well-being.

    ♦ Population Health - Research with the goal of improving the health of the Canadian population, or of defined sub-populations, through a better understanding of the ways in which social, cultural, environmental, occupational, and economic factors determine status.
     
  16. Q. What is your intellectual property policy?

    A.  Patent Rights: in the event of any inventions, discoveries or improvements arising as a result of the work conducted under a Grant-in-Aid award which may be, or have been covered by patent applications or patents, the granting Heart and Stroke Foundation shall be deemed to have an interest in any patent rights covered by such patent applications or patents. For the purpose of continuing titular control and administration of any patent rights covering inventions, discoveries or improvements arising as mentioned previously (such patent rights shall be assigned to the granting Heart and Stroke Foundation), the parties comprising the granting Heart and Stroke Foundation, the inventors, and the institution, shall together determine the respective interest of the parties in said patent rights or in the net proceeds, if any, of exploitation of said patent rights (see section A.12 in award programs' Guidelines).
     
  17. Q. Where are the Grant-in-Aid and Personnel Award deadlines listed on your website?

    A.  Deadlines for Grant-in-Aid, Personnel Awards and other Strategic Initiatives are located under Funding Opportunities / Deadlines.
     
  18. Q. Where can I find the research classification list on your website?

    A.  The research classification list is located under Funding Opportunities / Application Forms, and is the fifth item listed.
     
  19. Q. How should applications be bound when submitted to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada?

    A.  The Heart and Stroke Foundation requests that each collated application be bound seperately with elastics. Use of comb, coil or ring binding is discouraged, and use of clips should be limited to the original application.
     
  20. Q. What would be considered an incomplete or unacceptable application?

    A.  Examples of unacceptable or incomplete applications (but not limited to) would be:

    ♦ Missing appropriate number of copies of full applications
    ♦ Missing sections of the applications (e.g. research proposal, structured lay summaries, signatures, supervisors sections, etc)
    ♦ Missing reference letters (Personnel Awards)
    ♦ Missing any CVs (e.g. principle investigator, co-applicants – anyone identified on co-applicant signature page, supervisor, co-supervisor)
    ♦ Submitted on old application form
    ♦ Not adhering to the font, margin and page limits
    ♦ Uncollated applications
    ♦ Faxed / Emailed applications
    ♦ Handwritten applications
     
  21. Q. What is Heart and Stroke Foundation policy relating to indirect costs of research/overhead?

    A.  It is official Heart and Stroke Foundation board policy not to fund indirect costs of research, sometimes known as overhead.  The policy can be found here.

     
Last Updated (Thursday, 12 May 2011)